What is the best expat health insurance plan? This question gets asked time and time again on Reddit and in Facebook groups, and the answer is always “it depends.”

The best health insurance plan for you depends solely on your own individual situation and your personal needs. The best expat health insurance plan for a family of 5 living in China will differ from the best plan for a young, single American expat living in Brazil.

There are hundreds of different variables and factors to consider when choosing the best health insurance plan for yourself, and any single variable can change which plan is the best suited.

Here are some common variables to consider, which a good expat insurance broker can help you navigate:

• Your nationality. Some insurers can only work with certain nationalities. Also, do you need coverage in your home country, and does your home country have an affordable or a national health service?
  
  
• Where do you need to be covered? do you need worldwide cover, regional cover, or single country cover?
  
  
• Are you living in a high-risk location? Expats living in high-risk countries may need a different plan to someone living in low-risk country.
  
  
• How is your health? Do you have any pre-existing health conditions, or are you someone who rarely needs medical care? Are you a smoker?
  
  
• What are your future plans? Do you need an expat insurance plan for one year, or are you going to be an expat for an extended period of time, and will you be changing your country of residence?
  
  
• Hospital and healthcare networks. Some insurers have approved hospital networks, and if your favourite hospital isn’t in their network, you might have issues making claims.
  
  
• Do you plan on getting pregnant? Expat insurance plans can cover maternity. If you plan on getting pregnant, then selecting a plan that covers maternity will be the better option.
  
  
• How old are you? This is one of the most important factors; the older you are, generally, the more expensive health insurance is going to be, and decisions will need to be made to find a plan that is both affordable and sufficient.
  
  
• Insurance regulations. The insurance industry is heavily regulated, and insurers are regulated on who they can and cannot insure; this could be based on a person’s nationality or current location. Some countries require expats to have locally issued insurance plans.
  
  
• Making claims. An insurance policy can look like the best on paper, but how reliable is the insurer when it comes to actually paying claims?
  
  
• Small print exclusions. Each insurance plan comes with an exclusion list of things the insurer will not cover or pay for; some of these exclusions can be deal breakers.